be applying the Bible to our life.
For example, I Timothy 5: 1 “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.”
We may read this verse and think, “My father is out of touch; he
lives in his own world. How can I exhort him? I need to bring reality to him; if I don’t speak up he’ll always be in the clouds. Older people too, sometimes they need their eyes opened—God knows that.”
Instead, we need to apply God’s Word to our lives, no matter what
our circumstances are. I should be exhorting my father; am I? How can I exhort him more? No harshness should come out of my mouth.
Forgive me Lord for showing disrespect. Give me a pure heart toward my elders and to see the years of wisdom You have given them. Even if they do not follow You and are not wise in Your Truth, may I exhort them as my parents, who bore me, sacrificed for me, raised me, fed me, housed me and saw I was educated. They deserve exhorting.